As many web developers can attest to, logging into your server through SSH (Secure Shell) is one of the more common day-to-day tasks (you can even use it as a secure tunnel for your traffic). It only makes sense to automate this process which in turn can save many many keystrokes.

This how-to is written with PuTTY and Windows in mind and requires several other tools that are available from PuTTYâ€™s website. So from their download page, make sure you have these files:

PuTTY (putty.exe)

PuTTYgen (puttygen.exe)

Then to automate SSH login, do the following:

Run PuTTYgen.

Select SSH-2 DSA as the Type of Key to generate.

Click generate and move your mouse around to generate randomness.

Click â€œSave Private Keyâ€ and save it somewhere on your computer.

Copy the entire content inside the box to your clipboard (this is your generated public key).

Login to your SSH server.

Create the file ~/.ssh/authorized_keys containing the generated public key (from step 3) on a single line.

Make this file readable (chmod 755).

Then open up PuTTY and navigate to Connection->Data and fill in the auto-login username.

Navigate to Connection->SSH->Auth and under Private-key, browse to the file you had saved earlier on your computer.

Thatâ€™s it! Now you can try logging in to your SSH server and it shouldÃƒâ€š login automatically. If it works, make sure you save your session so you donâ€™t have to repeat these steps every time!

Hopefully these steps work for everyone! Let me know if there are any problems.

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Had some problems with a CentOS5 server not accepting keys… found that this server was being finicky for some reason, and used this article on how to generate the keys on the Linux server, and then import the public key to the client Windows box. To make it automatically login simply do not enter any passphrase. This is probably a huge security risk or something like that, but if you’re using it on a secured LAN then perhaps it’s ok.

Can’t run System Restore in normal mode or safe mode, can’t open programs

Windows XP could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt: \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\…

Stop: … {Registry File Failure} The registry cannot load the hive.

System error: Lsass.exe
When trying to update a password the return status indicates that the value provided as the current password is not correct.

Resolution:

A. Boot the system into the Recovery Console and CHKDSK

1. Insert the Windows XP cd into the top cd drive
2. Turn the computer off
3. Setup the computer to boot from cd: either by pressing F2, F9 or Delete to go in BIOS or by pressing F12 on Dell computers to launch the Boot Device Menu
4. As soon as you get the message Press any key to boot from the cd hit enter.
5. Wait ~3 minutes for the Windows Setup to initialize
6. At the Welcome to Setup screen press R to repair windows using recovery console.
7. Wait a couple of minutes while setup examines the hard drive.
8. You will be prompted to choose a Windows installation. Press 1 on the top of the keyboard and then
9. You will be prompted to enter the Administrator password. Press Enter if no password was set.
10. Perform a disk check:

chkdsk /p
fixboot

11. Type exit to restart the computer.
12. As soon as the computer starts hit F8 every second to bring up the Advanced Options Menu.
13. Choose the Last Known Good Configuration.
14. If these steps didn’t resolve the issue go back in Recovery Console.

B. Perform the System Restore
Inside the Recovery Console type the following commands to change the directory to the system restore directory:

cd \
cd system~1

If you get an Access Denied error:click here
If you don’t get an Access Denied error :

cd _resto~1

If there is no _resto~1 folder or if there are no restore points inside it:click here

If the _resto~1 folder exists, inside it there are several folders named RP1, RP2. These are restore points. RP1 is the oldest restore point. You can use

dir

to view what RP folders are available. If no restore points are available click here. Otherwise choose the most convenient RP folder. Supposing we have RP3 available let’s type in:

cd rp3

Change the directory to snapshot:

cd snapshot

Restore the main registry branches. If you are being asked if you want to overwrite type in y to agree.

If there is ever a problem when a PDF document is viewed, such as an error generated by Adobe or a failure to print the PDF file, then reinstalling the program is the best option. To do this, simply:

Uninstall any currently installed “Adobe Acrobat Reader” programs in the Control Panel’s Add/Remove programs (in Windows Vista and Windows 7 it is called “Programs and Features”).

If there are problems uninstalling Acrobat, such as an error such as “THE PATCH PACKAGE COULD NOT BE OPENED. Verify the patch package exists and you can access it, or contact the application vendor.” then do the following sub-routine:

Now run the Clean Up Utility program by clicking Start > All Programs > Windows Install Clean Up

In the list of program that the utility offers fins Acrobat Reader, click once on it to select its line, then click the Remove button.

Download and install Acrobat Reader from the link provided above.

Once it is installed, now uninstall it in the Control Panel’s Add/Remove programs (in Windows Vista and Windows 7 it is called “Programs and Features”).

Install the Acrobat program after downloading it from the link above. The program has been “reinstalled” now. This reinstallation takes care of most problems that can occur in Reader, and it’s plugin / add-on for Mozilla Firefox and Internet Explorer.

There have been some mentions of an Adobe Cleanup Tool or Adobe Uninstall Tool made to uninstall Reader manually, but these are still unavailable from the Adobe website to the public. Perhaps their technical support staff can provide the utility if a customer contacts them, as one blogger stated.

Trying to access a Windows XP host computer over a LAN (local area network) and get into it’s shared folders.

This little turd of an error can be really irritating. It happens when trying to access a shared folder, or any shares, on a remote, but LAN networked, Windows XP computer. After running the Network Setup Wizard on the host computer, and enabling file and printer sharing, it just won’t go away. In Windows XP Professional, you can go into the explorer view settings, and disable Simple File Sharing, which didn’t fix it either.

WordPress provides an easy method with which you can update your posts easily as you view them within your site. It is simply logging into your admin area, then viewing your site as a normal visitor. You can edit articles/posts/pages as you view them.

Here’s how:
Login to your site’s Admin area. This is usually something like “http:///www.yoursite.com/wordpress/wp-admin”.
Once logged in you’ll see a link at the top of the admin page that you’re looking at (just following your website name) that says View Site >> . Click It.
Now you’re viewing your website. Simply go view the page that you want to edit. You’ll notice a link below the article that reads Edit or “Edit this entry” or something to that effect.
Just click thet Edit link, and you’re in edit mode. Edit as usual.